Farmers producing fruits and vegetables in the eastern region are getting a platform with modern facilities to market their produce.

Minister for Agricultural Development Gauri Shanker Chaudhary on Sunday laid foundation stone of Wholesale Agriculture Market at Katahari in Morang.

After its completion, the wholesale market will immensely benefit farmers of eastern districts where production of fruits and vegetables is very high. Commercial fruits and vegetables farmers of Dhankuta, Morang, Sunsari, Saptari and Jhapa will be directly benefitted.

The Project for Agriculture Commercialisation and Trade (PACT) with support from the World Bank is developing the market with an estimated cost of Rs137.65 million.

Lama Raman Bhumidevi Construction has been awarded the contract of the construction, which is scheduled to be completed by mid-January 2017. The facility that sprawls across 17,881 square meters will have stalls along with the modern buildings.

According Basanta Raj Aryal, monitoring and evaluation officer of the project, said the market will have a separate administrative building apart from the business block. “The business block will have 17 stalls for wholesalers, one for retailers and a shed for agricultural products,” said Aryal. “In a bid to provide simplified services to farmers, the market will have a bank counter, farmer’s quarter, and health post providing 24-hours service.”

It will also have a weighing machine and load-unload facility at the same spot whereas a dumping site will be constructed for waste management.

After the establishment of the market, it is expected that around 50,000 tonnes of vegetables and 9,000 tonnes of fruits produced in the eastern hills and Tarai will be traded in the market. It will increase employment opportunities significantly in the region, according to Aryal.

Vegetables and fruits produced in the region is currently being traded at Gudri Haat in Biratnagar. Farmers have complained about lack of proper stalls, parking space and other facilities at the Haat.

The region is considered as a major hub for the production of fruits and vegetables, which are even exported to India. According to Regional Directorate of Agriculture, Biratnagar, in the first four months of the current fiscal year, 6,233 tonnes of

fresh vegetables worth Rs45.88 million was exported to India from the region.